The Wise Woman's Wisdom
by Screaming Faeries
Summary: Luna didn't expect her grandfather-in-law to have a solution to her...problem.


**Written For:**

Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Round 6 - February: Write about Arthur Weasley, Luna Lovegood or Newton Scamander.

 **Word Count:** 1,234

oOo

Luna felt disappointment swell in her stomach as she looked at the plastic strip in her hand. _Negative_. That's what the single, blocky red stripe told her.

She had taken countless pregnancy tests now, and all of them had been negative, but this time she had been _sure_ she would finally get her positive test. She'd had all the symptoms that Ginny and Hermione had beamed about: missing her period, changes in her appetite, dizziness. Her so-called symptoms seemed to evaporate into the air as the test confirmed her lack of pregnancy.

Luna and Rolf had been married several years now, and still they hadn't been lucky enough to fall pregnant. Everyone Luna spoke to insisted that she was fine, her time would come, and as soon as she had a baby she'd long for the time when she was childless. But Luna knew that wasn't true. Although she'd never thought of herself as much of a maternal figure, as soon as she married Rolf and settled down into their home life, she started to think longingly of the time she missed out with her own mother, and dream of when she could make up for lost time with her own children.

Rolf didn't seem all that worried about them not having a baby just yet. He made a show of being hopeful and disappointed when Luna announced her possible symptoms, and then disclosed the results of the pregnancy test — but Luna knew he was secretly making the most of having time to himself, to travel the world and follow his grandfather's footsteps. Once he became a father, that freedom would be severely limited. Luna didn't really mind, though. She couldn't blame him for wanting to see and learn everything he could before he became a father.

She stood up from the toilet, and threw the negative test into the bin. If things didn't improve soon, Rolf would have a lot more time than they thought he would have to travel the world.

oOo

When Luna and Rolf went to visit his grandparents a few weeks later, Rolf hurried straight into the kitchen to help his grandmother with dinner, leaving Luna alone in the sitting room with Newt Scamander.

His twinkling eyes seemed to see right past Luna's smiling facade, as she sat in an armchair with her hands clasped over her folded legs. "How are you, Luna?" Newt asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Luna smiled brightly, but her smile must not have met her eyes, because Newt didn't look convinced.

"How are you _really?_ "

Luna's forced smile faltered a little. "I wish I knew how to explain."

"Can I be forthright?" Newt asked, and Luna nodded. "Are you feeling down because you haven't fallen pregnant yet?"

Luna felt a surge of mild embarrassment at her husband's grandfather pointing out her fertility problems, but she kept her expression impassive, as she nodded slowly. "How can you tell?"

Newt smiled knowingly. "You're carrying yourself with the same glumness that Tina did, for years before we were blessed with Rolf's father."

Luna's eyes widened. "Tina had these problems, too?"

"Pregnancy is a much more complicated feat than many assume, even in magical creatures," Newt explained. "I've studied them for long enough to know that humans aren't so different. Perhaps I can let you on to a little secret?"

"I love secrets."

Newt stood up from his armchair and wandered over to a nearby bookshelf, running his hand through his beard as he squinted at the books. He finally selected a large, aged tome, and pulled it from the shelf. He licked a finger and flipped through the pages, until he found what he was looking for.

"Many years ago, when I was travelling through the Americas and learning about the magical creatures that dwell there, I learned a little piece of Native American folklore. I spent a lot of time with a central wizarding tribe — I wish I could remember their name. They were ruled by a wise, female witch instead of a traditional chief, and she personally acted as midwife to all the babies that were born in the tribe."

Luna leaned forward in her seat, listening intently.

"They never had a single casualty related to childbirth. No miscarriages, no stillbirths — all the babies born were healthy and pregnancies were carried to term. I spent a lot of time with the tribe, and I eventually found the nerve to ask the wise witch how she delivered so many perfect children."

"And she told you?" Luna queried, interested.

Newt nodded. "Tortoises."

"Tortoises?" Luna repeated.

"Tortoises. The wise woman believed that any woman who wanted to have a baby should keep a tortoise as a pet. She was to paint the shell of a tortoise with a potion, made from a secret concoction, which was clear and unscented. Then, all she had to do was look after the tortoise as she would any other pet — feed it, water it, give it exercise. Before long, she would notice the shell on the tortoise begin to change colour. That meant the woman was pregnant."

"But...it's folklore…" Luna murmured, slightly unconvinced.

"I thought so too, at first," Newt replied. "I believe in the science of creatures, magical and mundane, not myth and legend. I let the wise woman play out her tricks with the tortoises and I watched the tribe women worship and pray to their pets, all while believing that the wise woman was using some kind of secret magic to ensure her success. When I came to leave the tribe, she gave me a small jar of the ointment she used to paint the tortoises, and I kept it — as a souvenir, more than anything."

He closed the book, and looked back up at Luna.

"I left the jar in my case for years, never thinking about it once. Until, Tina and I realised that we couldn't seem to fall pregnant." He paused, frowning slightly at the memory. "I didn't even have to think about it. I got a tortoise, used some of the ointment to paint it, and kept it in the house. Tina was pregnant within the month."

Luna raised her eyebrows. "It really works?"

"I believe it does." Newt ventured across the room to a cabinet, and reached into a drawer. He withdrew a small, ornate wooden box, and handed it to Luna.

She opened the box, and found a small glass jar containing a clear, thick fluid.

"Tina and I were going to give it to our son when he married," Newt explained. "But they never had trouble bearing children. So, it seems fitting that it should go to you and Rolf."

A smile spread across Luna's face, and she beamed at Newt. "I don't know how I could ever thank you."

"By giving us great-grandchildren," said Newt with a wink. "Now, do you know where to get a tortoise?"

"My father has two, actually," Luna replied. "Thinks they're lovely pets, and I'm sure he'd let me take one home. Though, I don't think one would much enjoy life without the other. They're surprisingly very sociable with each other," she paused thoughtfully. "What would happen if I painted and took care of _two_ tortoises?"

Newt grinned. "Who knows? Perhaps you'll double your chances — or have twins!"

Luna laughed brightly. Twins — that would certainly be something.


End file.
